Well, on Thursday, the Oakland Raiders offensive and defensive coordinators started pandering for their jobs.
The news broke through the Twitter account of Steve Corkran, a contributor to the Contra Costa Times and the Bay Area News Group.
The first:
Off. coord. Greg Knapp said it takes at least a year for players to learn and function well in his system. Said it will show next year.
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) December 14, 2012
And then, just minutes later:
Jason Tarver said Raiders defense will take off "big time" next season and that they need as many players back as possible.
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) December 14, 2012
For starters, let me clarify: I'm not saying that both of these comments are inappropriate of even wrong. Sure, with new coaches in place, no one was expecting this team to run at full capacity.
However, to imply that Oakland is 3-10 primarily because of the new system is a joke. In fact, it's equally comical to imply that the group of players assembled isn't chiefly responsible for the team's pathetic performance.
Then again, that's not something any coach in their right mind would ever admit to, so back to the first point: that adaptation to a new system is the reason for disappointment.
As I mentioned above, I think it's partly true, but here's my real issue: Knapp and Tarver are largely to blame for this mess.
Knapp, who has been the fanbase's punching bag since coming back to town for a second go-round, has taken an effective offense from last season and run it straight into the ground.
Knapp's first problem was the re-institution of the zone-blocking scheme, seemingly the only thing in the NFL that can ap...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
